Top 10 richest American presidents in history

(NewsNation) — The 45th and soon-to-be 47th president of the United States is the richest president in history and one of the wealthiest Americans: Donald Trump.

At the time of his first inauguration in 2016, Trump's net worth was $3.7 billion, according to Forbes.

At the time of his reelection in his third bid for president, Trump's net worth was $6.2 billion, according to Forbes, down slightly from $6.7 billion as of Oct. 31.

The billionaire businessman is somewhat of an outlier financially speaking, however. Eight of the top 10 richest presidents were not billionaires, and some other presidents, such as No. 42 Bill Clinton and No. 44 Barack Obama, didn't have a lot of personal wealth before entering office.

A 2023 report from 24/7 Wall Street, a financial news and opinion company, calculated former presidents' peak net worth based on income, real estate holdings, spouses' wealth and inheritances.

Values are inflation-adjusted.

1. Donald J. Trump

Donald Trump served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021, assuming office with a net worth of $3.7 billion. A large portion of his earnings came from real estate after taking over and growing his father's business. He owns several New York City buildings, golf clubs and hotels.

2. John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy served as the 35th president from 1961 to 1963 until his assassination. Before his presidency, his peak net worth was $1.3 billion. He came from a family with fortune, his dad a banker and investor. Additionally, his wife, Jacqueline, also came from a wealthy family.

3. George Washington

George Washington, the United States' first president, was the wealthiest president for more than a century with $708.5 million. He inherited his Mount Vernon plantation and earned money from his time as a general in the war. He served as the country's leader from 1789 to 1797.

4. Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, serving from 1801 to 1809 as the third president, inherited his wealth from his father, amounting to $285.8 million. He expanded the thousands of acres of land his father left him, eventually building his Monticello plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia.

5. Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president from 1901 to 1909, entering office with $168.6 million. He inherited a large trust fund but didn't grow his wealth much, as he spent most of his career in public service.

6. Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president from 1829 to 1837, did not come from money but built his $160.1 million in wealth as a lawyer and inherited some from his wife. He grew his wealth through slave-run plantations, owning around 150 people at the time of his death.

7. James Madison

James Madison served as the fourth president from 1809 to 1817. His peak net worth was $136.7 million inherited from wealthy parents who owned several thousand acres of land and dozens of slaves.

8. Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president from 1963 to 1969, had $131.9 million in assets, including livestock and land in Texas. His main source of income, however, came from his and his wife Lady Bird's radio and TV station business, including radio station KTBC.

9. Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover was the 31st president from 1929 to 1933. He did not come from a wealthy family but instead was orphaned. He grew his income through the mining field as an engineer and later wrote a mining engineering textbook. Earnings from that gave him a net worth of $100.1 million.

10. William "Bill" Clinton

Bill Clinton was the 42nd president from 1993 to 2001. His $91.6 million net worth is combined with the income of his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran for president in 2016. Since leaving office, Bill Clinton has made millions from his 2005 book "My Life," and Hillary Clinton earned a $14 million advance for her memoir "Hard Choices." In his earlier political career, Bill Clinton was Arkansas' attorney general and governor.